


Let No Man Tear Asunder

by GeckoGirl89



Category: Friends (TV)
Genre: Angst, Bitterness, Everything Hurts, F/M, Ficlet, Heartbreak, Joey POV, One-Sided Relationship, Post-Canon, Unhappy Ending
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-18
Updated: 2016-10-18
Packaged: 2018-08-23 06:48:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 246
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8317981
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GeckoGirl89/pseuds/GeckoGirl89
Summary: The wedding invitation lies on Joey’s desk, sliced neatly in half like his heart.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by this prompt on Imzy's 100 Words community (https://www.imzy.com/100words/): **Memories warm you up from the inside. But they also tear you apart.** (Haruki Murakami, _Kafka on the Shore_ )
> 
> I originally intended for this piece to be a drabble, but I decided that editing to that length would cut out too many details of Joey's emotional response.
> 
> This piece contains a minor spoiler for the spin-off _Joey_ that Joey is living with his sister Gina.
> 
> The title is inspired by traditional Christian wedding vows.

The wedding invitation lies on Joey’s desk, sliced neatly in half like his heart. Gina had handed it to him earlier with a concerned expression, only saying that it came from New York. Joey wishes he had read the envelope before he used the letter opener on it. If he had, the invitation would be hiding in the freezer like Joey hid _Little Women_ once.

Thinking of that book makes him recall Rachel and the decision he must make. For a petty moment, Joey wants to rip the invitation to shreds. He wants to pick up the phone and scream at Ross for his “cordial invitation.” It was definitely Ross who sent the invite. Joey knows Rachel wouldn’t be callous enough to hurt him like this, and he would like to believe that their brief relationship meant something to her too.

Joey fights his selfish impulses and uses scotch tape to repair the invitation as much as he can. He picks up a pen and lets his hand hover indecisively over the RSVP box. He remembers how happy Ross and Rachel seemed when he left, warm in the glow of renewed love, and doesn’t think that he can stand to watch their joyous union. But then he imagines Rachel crying, upset because her best friend Joey won’t attend her wedding.

Joey blinks away the tears in his eyes and marks “Yes” on the invitation. He would do anything for Rachel, even watch her marry someone else.


End file.
